McKagan talked to the audience quite a bit throughout the night, and introduced the next song as one from their 2001 debut album "Dark Days" and the song "Queen Jonasophina." Kicking off with an infectious guitar hook played by lead man Mike Squires, it is a quicker paced number with sharp, punctuated downbeats. A word about Mr. Squires - also playing a black Les Paul - the man had a style, tone and the overall musical chops quite similar to another guitarist McKagan is somewhat familiar with - yes, I am referring to Slash. It really was uncanny how much at times Squire reminded me of him. Even the level he held the guitar and the way he moved around the stage had a Slash-like quality to him. Meant purely as a high compliment, simply put, the man can flat out play.

The band then played two more from the current album, that being "Sleaze Factory" (a great stomping, syncopated alternating guitars number, that lyrically portrays just where one‘s extreme excesses will ultimately take you) and "Flatline" (which has been getting the band some airplay, with it's radio friendly vibe).

What followed really took the crowd higher. McKagan picked up the bass and Jeff Rouse grabbed the guitar. With Duff telling the audience "this one is from 1987 or so" (it's actually from the "Use Your Illusions I" album, circa 1991) the band launched into "Dust & Bones." The place went nuts. A word about bassist/guitarist Jeff Rouse - the man covered all the "Axl" vocal parts perfectly. All three members of the band sing quality background vocals, but Jeff was definitely the strongest vocalist of all. Squires was nailing all the Slash lines with relaxed precision. One amusing bit during the song was when Duff started singing a verse out of place, and you could see Jeff giving him the eyeball as he was trying to figure out what to sing along with. McKagan laughed and whispered something in his ear during the following instrumental interlude. It was truly great to hear this song again in a live environment after all these years. And performed by the man who co-wrote it.

McKagan, Squires and Rouse all worked the crowd like pros. Frequently walking out on the little catwalks that lead into the crowd, they made sure the fans could reach out and touch them. Drummer Geoff Reading was rock solid, set back somewhat, as he thundered his kit, while also capably providing background vocals.

It was back to their current album for the next song "No More" to be followed by two more from the debut, the title track "Dark Days" and "Seattlehead," a namecheck of McKagan's hometown in the Pacific Northwest.

At this point Duff removed the leather jacket he had been wearing, revealing a sleeveless black t-shirt that showed off those famous tattoos. The band played a particularly inspired version of their power ballad "Wasted Heart." After then playing "No Shame" (also from the current album), McKagan (now playing a gold top version of the same Les Paul style guitar he began the night with) delighted the sweat-soaked audience with another blast-from-the-past treat. Pulling out the Glenn Danzig penned "Attitude" - a song originally recorded by Danzig and his band The Misfits in 1980 - and then covered by McKagan and Guns on their 1993 release "The Spaghetti Incident?" It's a fast, ferocious, punk song and Duff had always been the one closest to punk music in every band he has ever been in.